Brando Babini found his love for soccer at an early age, when he started playing with his Italian father and family friends on a hard surface near their home.
“I started playing competitively when I was around eight or nine years old, and pretty quickly it became an obsession, like it does for so many kids,” Babini tells Upworthy. “By the time I was 14, I was playing at a very high level.”
His soccer talent was obvious. But as he entered into the increasingly expensive youth soccer system, he noticed his peers were not able to afford it, and it prevented them from playing at the next level.
Talent and love for the game was being lost, and it didn’t sit well with him. Fast-forward, Babini started Youth 4 Youth FC in 2021 at just 16 years old. Today, the peer-to-peer youth soccer platform has reached over 1,000 players across 12 states.
Starting Youth 4 Youth FC
Babini saw fellow talented players struggle to get enough financial aid or scholarship support from their clubs.
“Playing competitive club soccer can cost thousands of dollars a year, and that’s before you factor in travel, uniforms, and all the other expenses that come with it,” he tells Upworthy.
With more and more players unable to afford to play, he felt pulled to step up and increase accessibility to players.
“If we want soccer to continue growing in the U.S., talented players shouldn’t lose opportunities simply because they can’t afford them,” he adds.
He started Youth 4 Youth FC as part of a school project, with about $300.
“We didn’t have major funding, coaching licenses, or a big organization behind us,” Babini says. “What we did have was experience playing the game, a network, an understanding of what young players were going through, and the ability to translate our own experiences into coaching and mentorship.”
It grew “slowly and organically” from there without outside funding.
“In the beginning, we were going to parks, offering to train talented players for free, and trying to earn the trust of players and parents,” he adds.
Youth 4 Youth FC established a real community, and in the last couple of years, the organization has grown exponentially.
Photo credit: Courtesy of Youth 4 Youth FC
Youth 4 Youth FC continues to grow
Babini, who is now 21 and a student at Brown University, continues to see his program grow while balancing school and “plenty of four-and-a-half-hour train rides” to New York, where much of the Youth 4 Youth FC work happens.
“Now we have players who are older than me, some already well into their professional careers or coming out of college, reaching out because they trust us to help them make connections or navigate the next step in their careers,” he tells Upworthy. “That shift has been incredible to watch.”
Youth 4 Youth FC now offers free college showcases and mentorship and has received more than 4,000 applications. Youth 4 Youth FC has also partnered with Nike and helped players earn more than 50 college opportunities.
“Our goal is to democratize access to higher-level soccer in the U.S.,” says Babini. “Players shouldn’t have to pay simply for the opportunity to be seen by the right college coach or professional scout. When you remove some of those barriers, you start seeing these incredible ripple effects in people’s lives.”
And he’s seen his program truly impact players.
“Sometimes that means helping a player find an opportunity at a Division III school,” he shares. “In another case, a girl who participated in our showcase this summer was discovered through content from the event and is now on trial at Chelsea. Those individual stories are what make this meaningful to me.”
